Chapter 54
After many twists and turns, we finally arrived at the hospital. The acrid smoke was still clinging to our bodies.
“What’s your relationship with the patient? If you’re not a legal guardian, visitation is prohibited.”
The nurse spoke with an annoyed expression, not even looking at us. Her computer screen was crowded with shopping catalogs.
“Young lady, will this do? Buy yourself so nice clothes.”
Gabriel skillfully took out a credit chip and offered it. The nurse indifferently reached out her hand, slipping the credit chip into her pocket.
Both seed accustod to this sort of exchange.
“Mr. Noma is in Room 401.”
The na of Tora’s associate we were looking for was Ken Noma. He had previously served as Tora’s dedicated bodyguard.
When we entered the hallway with patient rooms, a musty odor—a mix of dications and body odor—hung in the air. Behind the closed doors, occasional moans resembling screams leaked out.
A ntal hospital was essentially a prison designed for isolation. If they truly intended to treat patients, they wouldn’t put them in a place like this.
I stood before Room 401. With a clanking sound, the heavy lock opened.
Creeeak.
Perhaps because the door wasn’t opened frequently, the rusty noise unpleasantly scratched at my eardrums.
“Ken Noma?”
I called out the man’s na as I stepped inside.
Ken Noma was sitting on the hospital bed. His eyes were dull and lifeless, and his cheeks were thin and sunken. The sheets and pillow had yellowish stains clinging to them, giving off a musty sll.
Ken did not respond to my voice.
I sat on a chair facing Ken. Gabriel followed inside, leaning his back against the wall and folding his arms.
“My na is Luka.”
I spread my palm and waved it in front of Ken’s eyes. His pupils sluggishly followed my movents.
“Lu...ka?”
Ken’s consciousness returned very slowly. His ability to grasp reality was severely impaired.
Click, clack-clack, click-click.
Ken’s prosthetic limbs trembled as if convulsing. It ant the brain’s neural system responsible for controlling muscles and motor skills was severely damaged.
“Luka, do you really think we can get a decent answer from him? It’s obvious his brain is riddled with holes like a sponge. His nerves must be burnt out, no better than fried wiring.”
Ken’s condition was so dire that even Gabriel could easily diagnose him.
“I have so questions about Tora.”
I spoke slowly. This ti, Ken did not answer.
Ken’s consciousness flickered intermittently like a broken monitor, making normal communication nearly impossible. After several unsuccessful attempts at conversation, I scratched my head.
“It’s useless. Aleph completely wrecked him. In this state, he’s practically dead.”
Gabriel kept chiming in, dampening the mood. I ignored him and closed my eyes.
I carefully recalled the knowledge I’d gained at the Imperial Guard training camp, piece by piece.
Imperial Guards constantly push their brains and nervous systems to extres. They also teach several temporary asures for dealing with symptoms of neurological damage. Of course, those weren’t fundantal treatnts.
‘Ken was skilled with close-combat weapons, especially knives.’
Ken had served as a dedicated bodyguard for the arena manager. His skills were pretty decent. Even if not quite at Imperial Guard standards, he’d likely undergone neural enhancents through drugs.
“Let’s just go. We’re wasting our ti.”
Gabriel spoke while shaking one leg impatiently. Still ignoring Gabriel, I moved my hand towards my waist.
Kiing.
I drew my self-defense knife. Ken’s gaze instantly changed. His pupils followed the knife closely. His reaction speed had improved compared to earlier.
Humans develop strong neural connections for activities they’ve perford their entire lives. Particularly intense actions like combat don’t easily fade from the body.
Whoosh.
I flipped the knife in my hand and extended the handle towards Ken.
Tremble, tremble.
Ken grabbed the knife with his trembling hand. At that mont, his shaking stopped. His pupils were clearer than before.
Swish!
I thrust my hand toward Ken, pretending to attack.
Clang!
Ken moved the knife, blocking my attack. Our hands and the knife clashed several tis, exchanging quick attacks and parries.
Activating the brain’s neural pathways responsible for combat and knife techniques would trigger other related functions, provided he still had that capability. If even this part had been completely broken, then there would have been nothing else I could do.
“Wh-what’s going on? Did you say your na was Lu... Luka?”
Ken finally asked a question. His consciousness was slowly waking up. He was probably experiencing quite a headache right now.
“Huh, huh? How did you do that?”
Gabriel uncrossed his arms, pushing away from the wall.
The principle was simple. taphorically, it was like bypassing a broken switch to activate a machine through another circuit. This was just a temporary awakening. Since it wasn’t a normal approach, it would put even more strain on his already damaged brain. But treatnt wasn’t my goal, so it didn’t matter.
“It—it’s really been a long ti. To think I could feel this clear-headed again... No, it’s not clear. It feels like soone’s setting off fireworks inside my skull. But still, it’s better than drowning in the swamp.”
I extended my arm at a speed optimal for Ken to react. Ken moved the knife, continuously blocking my attacks, occasionally counterattacking.
Clink!
I caught the knife between my fingers to block his strike. Ken swiftly withdrew the knife, twisting his lips as if intrigued.
Clang!
I had to maintain continuous attacks and defenses to keep his brain activated. If the combat stopped, Ken’s consciousness would sink back into oblivion.
“I ca here to ask you sothing.”
“Are—are you Aleph’s subordinate? He still has questions left for , huh?”
“I’m not here because of Aleph. He only provided with information. My questions are about soone close to Tora.”
“So-soone close to the boss?”
If Kinuan had spent ti with Tora, he probably wouldn’t have used his real na.
I described Kinuan’s characteristics. A man with Kinuan’s aura was rare, especially in the lower districts.
Ken rested his chin on one hand while swinging the knife with the other. After finishing his thoughts, he stared at .
“I might have an idea. B-but why should I tell you?”
Ken wasn’t so saint; he was a lower-district gangster. He wouldn’t help anyone without compensation.
“I’ll get you out of this hospital. Gabriel, you have a spare room at your place, right?”
“What? You expect to babysit this senile old man?”
“Just put up with it for a few days. Also, find us a hideout. Gather trustworthy people. Starting now, we’re going to build a gang with you as its boss.”
“Wait a minute! Luka, what are you talking about?”
“If you don’t like it, say so. I’ll find soone else.”
“No, it’s not that I dislike it, but...”
It was sothing I’d been considering for a while. I needed soone to serve as my eyes and ears in the lower districts. Gabriel alone wasn’t enough; we needed an organized group—a gang.
At that point, realization suddenly hit .
‘Maybe Kinuan also....’
Why hadn’t I thought of this earlier!
If Kinuan were carrying out unofficial missions in the lower districts, he would need an organization working under him. That’s why he would have established a gang with Tora as its frontman.
In other words, the relationship between Kinuan and Tora would’ve been similar to mine and Gabriel’s. It was still speculation, but my gut was almost certain.
“Are you really going to get out?”
“Whether you believe or not, Ken Noma, you don’t really have any other options.”
“You—you’re a clever one. That’s right. I have no choice but to trust you. I have nothing to lose anyway.”
If Ken Noma rejected my offer, he’d simply rot away here. Accepting ant there was at least a chance to get out.
Clang!
Ken swung his arm chanically, his eyes devoid of emotion. His knife aid for my neck but was noticeably slower than before—indicating the temporary awakening was nearing its limit.
“Then I’ll start talking, Luka. We don’t have much ti.”
Ken revealed that Tora had an old friend and supporter. That mysterious man wasn’t part of the gang, nor did he engage in external activities. Only Tora’s closest confidants, like Ken, knew of his existence.
That supporter had to be Kinuan.
Essentially, Tora’s gang belonged to Kinuan. Tora’s downfall probably began after Kinuan retired from active duty and communication ceased. It wouldn’t be hard to confirm with so investigation.
* * *
I gave Gabriel a few instructions, then imdiately headed up to the upper district. Gabriel grumbled while pushing Ken’s wheelchair but obediently followed my orders.
I went straight to the Imperial Guard’s database room. It operated on a closed network, inaccessible externally—only physical access was possible.
Connecting the terminal to the computer, I re-examined Kinuan’s records.
‘Kinuan becoming an instructor coincided exactly with Tora’s decline.’
After Kinuan’s retirent, Tora’s gang rapidly weakened.
And three years later, Tora lost the arena and died. It seed he originally planned to flee with his hidden funds.
“Did Kinuan abandon Tora?”
I reflected on my own relationship with Gabriel. Even if I created a gang, Gabriel couldn’t run it alone. He’d still need my advice and support.
‘If I withdrew my support after the gang expanded... Gabriel would be trapped, unable to quit even if he wanted to. He’d slowly fall apart, just like Tora, eventually dying.’
I’d heard Tora was greedy but, for a lower-district gangster, unusually loyal. That loyalty was why Ken had stayed by Tora’s side to the end.
‘It was precisely because of that loyalty that Kinuan chose Tora—and ultimately abandoned him.’
Kinuan hadn’t exactly done anything wrong. In fact, thanks to Kinuan, Tora rose considerably, becoming a gang boss and arena manager.
Yet Kinuan knowingly left Tora to his downfall. A man of his caliber would’ve certainly seen Tora’s future.
‘Am I retracing Kinuan’s footsteps and simultaneously recreating them?’
It felt strange. The more I investigated, the clearer it beca how similar my current actions were to Kinuan’s past. We had both carried out unofficial missions in the sa lower districts, recruiting local followers to build our own forces.
After finishing the data collection, I also saved so materials related to Ken’s rehabilitation on my terminal. The Imperial Guard had nurous case studies on treatnts for soldiers suffering neurological damage.
I planned to improve Ken’s condition. Although brief, our conversation made it clear that he’d be useful in many ways. There were still plenty of things I wanted to hear from him about Kinuan.
I disconnected my terminal and looked around. Only the repetitive hum of the towering computer racks filled the database room, resonating monotonously like endless bookshelves.
Listening quietly to the chanical drone made my senses blur. Repetitive sounds dull the senses.
Step, step.
I walked toward the exit, passing between computers taller than myself.
Buzzz, buuuzz.
Static noise filled the air. I stopped walking at the end of the computer racks. Sothing felt off.
Dust drifted lazily through the violet glow of the lights. I carefully observed its movent; apart from the ventilation currents, the dust was being drawn by another force.
...Soone was hiding around the corner.
“Who’s there?”
“Excellent, Luka. You’ve completed the foundations of Akies Victima. It’s ti to move on to the next stage.”
Kinuan, who had concealed his presence, revealed himself. I hid my complicated emotions behind a neutral expression.
If I was honest, I respected Kinuan. Hearing praise from him didn’t feel bad at all. Yet part of was uncomfortable, feeling as though he could see straight through .
‘...Kinuan.’
Kinuan was the most resilient and cunning person I’d ever encountered. Amid complicated power dynamics, he expertly balanced himself, securing his own safe zone. He was soone who never lost his path, even in chaos.
Yes, I had to admit it. I wanted to beco soone like Kinuan.
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